Albert Levy (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Albert "Yank" Levy was a soldier, military instructor and author of a manual on guerrilla warfare
. He served with irregular forces in several parts of the world in the 1920s and 30's and was a significant figure at the Osterley Park
training school for the British Home Guard during World War II
.
; but his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when he was just three months old. He grew up on the streets and claimed that his "real education was in the school of hardknocks
". In 1916 he joined the Merchant Navy working as a deck hand.
) in Palestine
and Transjordan
. In 1920-21 he was, in his own (attributed) words "mixed up in Mexico" towards the end of the revolution
there. Subsequently he was involved in gun-running in Nicaragua
, where he served under General Sandino
.
Perhaps his most significant military experience was in Spain
during the civil war
of 1936-39. He served with the International Brigade as an officer in the Saklatava Battalion, under Tom Wintringham
, from 1937. He was captured at the Battle of Jarama
and spent six months in a Francoist gaol until he was released in a prisoner exchange. Even after all that, he still had to be prevented by friends from re-enlisting and returning to the fray.
In 1940, with the outbreak of World War II he tried to enlist with the Canadian army, but was refused on medical grounds.
and was involved in establishing the private training school for Home Guard volunteers at Osterley Park
.
It was whilst lecturing there that Wintringham helped Levy write his book Guerrilla Warfare as a practical manual. This was published in mass market paperback in Britain and the U.S. and ran to several editions. Levy advocated guerrilla warfare as a democratic means of combatting fascism
, frequently attacking the military establishment who overlooked the lessons born of such commanders as Lawrence of Arabia
and their experience in irregular war. He also recounts some of his adventures as a guerrilla, such as the time he and his companions trapped cats' tails in mouse traps as a means of distracting sentries.
Subsequently he returned to lecture in America as an advance party when Wintringham was invited to start an Osterley style school in San Bernardino. The school was abandoned when the two local Home Guard commanders shot each other during an argument. Levy gave a successful US lecture tour and had his face pictured on the cover of Life Magazine proclaiming him to be an: Ace Guerrilla. before returning to the UK to form part of Wintringham's occasional 'flying squads' - mobile training units which toured provincial Home Guard units in temporary, often unofficial, training camps.
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
. He served with irregular forces in several parts of the world in the 1920s and 30's and was a significant figure at the Osterley Park
Osterley Park
Osterley Park is a mansion set in a large park of the same name. It is in the London Borough of Hounslow, part of the western suburbs of London. When the house was built it was surrounded by rural countryside. It was one of a group of large houses close to London which served as country retreats...
training school for the British Home Guard during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Background
Levy was born in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
; but his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when he was just three months old. He grew up on the streets and claimed that his "real education was in the school of hardknocks
School of Hard Knocks
The School of Hard Knocks is an idiomatic phrase meaning the education one gets from life's usually negative experiences, often contrasted with formal education...
". In 1916 he joined the Merchant Navy working as a deck hand.
Military career
From 1918 to 1919 Levy served with the 39th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (part of the Jewish LegionJewish Legion
The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Army's 38th through 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers...
) in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Transjordan
Transjordan
The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman territory in the Southern Levant that was part of the British Mandate of Palestine...
. In 1920-21 he was, in his own (attributed) words "mixed up in Mexico" towards the end of the revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
there. Subsequently he was involved in gun-running in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, where he served under General Sandino
Augusto César Sandino
Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933...
.
Perhaps his most significant military experience was in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
of 1936-39. He served with the International Brigade as an officer in the Saklatava Battalion, under Tom Wintringham
Tom Wintringham
Thomas Henry Wintringham was a British soldier, military historian, journalist, poet, Marxist, politician and author. He was an important figure in the formation of the Home Guard during World War II and was one of the founders of the Common Wealth Party.-Early life:Tom Wintringham was born 1898...
, from 1937. He was captured at the Battle of Jarama
Battle of Jarama
The Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
and spent six months in a Francoist gaol until he was released in a prisoner exchange. Even after all that, he still had to be prevented by friends from re-enlisting and returning to the fray.
In 1940, with the outbreak of World War II he tried to enlist with the Canadian army, but was refused on medical grounds.
Lecturing career
Following this refusal, Levy worked his passage to Britain. There he rejoined WintringhamTom Wintringham
Thomas Henry Wintringham was a British soldier, military historian, journalist, poet, Marxist, politician and author. He was an important figure in the formation of the Home Guard during World War II and was one of the founders of the Common Wealth Party.-Early life:Tom Wintringham was born 1898...
and was involved in establishing the private training school for Home Guard volunteers at Osterley Park
Osterley Park
Osterley Park is a mansion set in a large park of the same name. It is in the London Borough of Hounslow, part of the western suburbs of London. When the house was built it was surrounded by rural countryside. It was one of a group of large houses close to London which served as country retreats...
.
It was whilst lecturing there that Wintringham helped Levy write his book Guerrilla Warfare as a practical manual. This was published in mass market paperback in Britain and the U.S. and ran to several editions. Levy advocated guerrilla warfare as a democratic means of combatting fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, frequently attacking the military establishment who overlooked the lessons born of such commanders as Lawrence of Arabia
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
and their experience in irregular war. He also recounts some of his adventures as a guerrilla, such as the time he and his companions trapped cats' tails in mouse traps as a means of distracting sentries.
Subsequently he returned to lecture in America as an advance party when Wintringham was invited to start an Osterley style school in San Bernardino. The school was abandoned when the two local Home Guard commanders shot each other during an argument. Levy gave a successful US lecture tour and had his face pictured on the cover of Life Magazine proclaiming him to be an: Ace Guerrilla. before returning to the UK to form part of Wintringham's occasional 'flying squads' - mobile training units which toured provincial Home Guard units in temporary, often unofficial, training camps.